Shenandoah (B&O train)

B&O Train # 8, the Shenandoah, along the Potomac River near Hansrote, West Virginia, on October 30, 1952

The Shenandoah was an American named passenger train of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O), one of four daily B&O trains operating between New York City and Grand Central Station in Chicago, Illinois, via Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the 1930s–1950s. Other B&O trains of that period on the route were the Capitol Limited, Columbian, and the Washington - Chicago Express.^[1] After April 26, 1958, the B&O no longer operated passenger trains north of Baltimore, Maryland, which then became the eastern terminus of the Shenandoah for the remainder of its existence.^[1]

In the 1940s–1960s, the daily Shenandoah consisted of coaches, five Pullman sleeping cars, a lounge car with a radio, and a full-service dining car. Beginning in the early 1950s, the train also had a Strata-Dome combination sleeper-dome car on alternate days.^[2][3]

The westbound Shenandoah, operating as Train # 7, left Washington in the late evening at 11:30 p.m., several hours after the 5 p.m. departure of the Capitol Limited and Columbian from the Nation's Capitol, making it a favorite of travelers seeking to make convenient connections with other railroads in Chicago including the streamliners of the Santa Fe and Union Pacific Railroads.^[2] The train also carried a heavy volume of mail and express, with "head-end" equipment such as Railway Post Office cars a regular part of the Shenandoah's consist.^[2]

Prior to April 26, 1958, when the B&O discontinued passenger service north of Baltimore, the Shenandoah operated to New York City via Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[4] As passenger patronage on American railroads continued to decline in the 1960s, the combination sleeper-dome and dining cars were dropped, and trains # 7–8 were renamed the Diplomat in 1964 and then dropped altogether in 1967.^[2]

Amtrak revived the name in the 1970s for the short-lived Shenandoah, a Washington—Cincinnati train.

Schedule

In 1961, westbound Shenandoah Train # 7 operated on the following schedule (departure times at principal stops shown):

The route of the Shenandoah (in orange)

References

1. 1 2 Herbert H. Harwood, Jr., Royal Blue Line. Sykesville, Maryland: Greenberg Publishing, 1990 (ISBN 0-89778-155-4).
2. 1 2 3 4 Harry Stegmaier, Baltimore & Ohio Passenger Service, Vol. 2 – Route of the Capitol Limited. Lynchburg, Va.: TLC Publishing, 1997 (ISBN 1-883-089-00X).
3. 1 2 Baltimore & Ohio — Passenger Train Schedules, October 29, 1961.
4. ↑ Stephen J. Salamon, David P. Oroszi, and David P. Ori, Baltimore and Ohio — Reflections of the Capitol Dome. Silver Spring, Maryland: Old Line Graphics, 1993 (ISBN 1-879314-08-8).

Named trains of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Abraham Lincoln Ambassador Blue Ridge Limited Capitol Limited Cincinnatian Cleveland Night Express Chicago - Washington Express Chicago Night Express Columbian Daylight Speedliner Diplomat Fort Pitt Limited Marylander Metropolitan Special National Limited New York Night Express Night Express Pittsburgh 79' Royal Blue Shenandoah Washington - Chicago Express Washington Night Express Washington 80 Washingtonian West Virginian West Virginia Night Express